Chapter 51: Favorable Treatment

Chapter 51: Favorable Treatment

From the very beginning of filming, the crew of *The Path of Bones* has been surrounded by unrelenting skepticism.

The failure of *The Informant* led to calls from the public for the crew to "cast a lead actor with real acting chops." Later, when the role of Yu Yi was given to Lu Xu, the skepticism died down a bit, but some still repeatedly emphasized that Lu Xu had never been a leading man before, or that his acting skills were only good in period dramas.

Lei Ai and Kong Le couldn’t argue back, as no matter how they explained, others always seemed to have a point.

Previously, an unfriendly colleague had called Lei Ai, asking if the platform issue had been resolved, and if not, he could help Lei Ai pull some strings with the platforms.

So, as soon as Lu Xu was nominated for the Starlight Award, Lei Ai immediately called that person: "Otherwise, why do people always say I have good luck? Ah, when I chose Lu Xu, I really didn’t expect him to get nominated. Doesn’t a nomination change everything?"

"Ah, look, now we don’t even have to shell out for promotion. As for the release... could you ask the platform for me and see what price they’re offering? We need to compare."

"It’s cutthroat out there, what can you do?"

Listening to the other person stammering without a clear response, Lei Ai raised an eyebrow. They were all old foxes—what kind of act are they putting on? Did they really think he was easy to push around?

As for the comment about him getting a big head, Lei Ai didn’t care—he was over the moon.

In fact, Lei Ai didn’t even hear about Lu Xu’s Starlight Award nomination firsthand; it was the platform that informed him.

Previously, Lei Ai had been working with Kong Le to secure a release opportunity from the platforms, but their attitude had been vague—neither giving a straight yes nor no about the release, nor specifying a timeline. In short, if something better than *The Path of Bones* came along, *The Path of Bones* would have to step aside.

Platforms are all about the bottom line, and Lei Ai was used to that.

But that day, the tone of the call was completely different.

Lei Ai understood that just the hype around *The Path of Bones* being Lu Xu’s first lead role post-Starlight nomination was enough for the platform to invest in securing it.

"We’ve caught some of your career luck," Lei Ai joked with Lu Xu. "When we release the trailer soon, be sure to share it around."

Even if *The Path of Bones* drops early, it will still be after the Starlight Award ceremony.

Previously, the filming of the series had gone unnoticed, and whatever attention it did receive was largely due to *The Informant*’s flop. But now, things were different.

Not only was the *The Path of Bones* crew paying attention to the series’ developments, but a bunch of A-listers in the industry were also keeping an eye on it.

With a Starlight Award nomination under his belt, if *The Path of Bones* could achieve the same level of popularity as *The Son of Heaven* and *The Supreme*, Lu Xu would be unstoppable.

...

Ling Ge Entertainment.

Turning on the TV, any entertainment show would be all over the updates related to this year’s Starlight Award, and whenever the Starlight Award was mentioned, Lu Xu would be front and center.

Light coverage would just skim over Lu Xu’s rise as an actor, while deeper coverage would thoroughly detail his career trajectory since his debut with Verse.

In all of this, Ling Ge Entertainment naturally played the role of the antagonist.

The three members of Verse rarely found themselves at the company at the same time, but when they did and saw the news coverage on TV, their faces fell.

Only in private, away from the cameras, did they reveal their true selves.

"His luck is just too good," Gu Sinian snorted coldly.

"Are you jealous?" Xie Qingyang raised an eyebrow, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

"Aren’t you?" Gu Sinian shot back without hesitation. "With that tone, you’d think your G brand deal was in the bag."

Xie Qingyang's face immediately darkened.

Being snubbed by G brand was one of his sore spots, and he wished he had never gone after that deal.

Meng Qin, who usually enjoyed mocking the other two, stayed quiet this time. He had always been well-connected in the fashion circle, being the darling of several brands. But recently, a collaboration he was interested in had prioritized Lu Xu over him.

Lu Xu had clearly become a roadblock in his career.

Over a year ago, the three of them could never have imagined that Lu Xu, who had almost disappeared from the entertainment industry, would have such a smooth rise in his acting career.

"We need to come up with a plan," Gu Sinian said through gritted teeth. "We can't let him keep this up."

The better Lu Xu performed, the worse they appeared by comparison.

If Verse had disbanded amicably, things might have been different, but Lu Xu had been kicked out. Before the disbandment, the trio had pulled out all the stops to spread negative rumors about him.

Gu Sinian knew that the acting path was tough, and he had mentally prepared himself for it.

But without Lu Xu, even if both *Watchmen* and *Rising Sun* had flopped, the ridicule he faced wouldn't have been as severe as it is now.

To this day, he still couldn't fathom how Lu Xu had managed to snag a Starlight Award nomination. Were the judges out of their minds?

The three of them racked their brains but couldn't dig up any new dirt on Lu Xu.

The old dirt from the Verse days was no longer relevant—it was all about him being dead weight, lousy at dancing and singing. But Verse was a boy band, and while Lu Xu was indeed subpar, the others weren't exactly stellar either.

The truly talented ones had already gone solo.

Even their once-impressive dancing skills had gone downhill after the group disbanded. Apart from occasionally showing off to get fans screaming, they had no real edge in the entertainment industry.

"Maybe we should shift our focus to the drama side?" Gu Sinian contacted his agent. "Didn't the company just bring Sister Fei on board?"

The agent confirmed, and Gu Sinian said, "Then it's a done deal."

"Doesn't Sister Fei also have it out for Lu Xu?"

Gu Sinian had always blamed Lu Xu entirely for *Rising Sun*'s flop. It was his first leading role, and since Lu Xu had ruined his chances of getting good projects, he wanted to return the favor.

If *Rising Sun* failed, why should *The Path of Bones* succeed?

In Ling Ge Entertainment, there was another person who disliked Lu Xu—Wei Fangfei.

*Nine Turns Decree* had become a joke, and Wei Fangfei's dream of returning to the film industry was completely shattered. She had originally set up her own studio, but now, her resources were no longer sufficient to keep it running, so she had signed with Ling Ge Entertainment.

Gu Sinian thought that with Wei Fangfei's help, they might have a chance to sabotage *The Path of Bones*.

Wei Fangfei's close friend had a new drama coming out in February.

"But will she agree?" The agent was hesitant about Gu Sinian's aggressive approach. "We should take it step by step, play it safe."

Gu Sinian shook his head lightly. "I can't wait any longer."

"Do you think, with Lu Xu's current momentum, I still have a chance to rise again?"

Ling Ge Entertainment was already unwilling to give him more resources, and other companies were even less likely to do so. Running an entertainment company wasn't charity.

"I'll ask Sister Fei myself. I heard she's been short on money lately."

The agent said nothing more.

The Nine Turns Decree was a massive flop, coupled with Wei Fangfei's off-putting demeanor, no one in the industry was willing to cast her in a high-budget drama.

Wei Fangfei had no idea what investments she had made, but the losses seemed bottomless. The reason she deigned to sign with Ling Ge Entertainment was that the signing fee offered by Ling Ge was higher than other companies.

"I'm worried we can't meet her demands," the agent whispered.

"But now, no one is willing to offer her a hefty sum," Gu Sinian smiled slightly. "She will agree."

...

Lu Xu had no idea about the impending sabotage of The Path of Bones. He was swamped preparing for the Starlight Award ceremony.

The organizing committee had sent over the ceremony schedule ahead of time, which was much more complicated than Lu Xu had expected. He initially thought it would just be walking the red carpet and then sitting in the auditorium.

In fact, before the ceremony began, Lu Xu had already undergone an official interview with the organizing committee, a necessary process for every nominee.

There was also the makeup and wardrobe fitting. The G brand sent over several outfits, but fortunately, Lu Xu was okay with each one, so this process was simplified.

After that, Lu Xu also took photos with the sponsored car brand and participated in the ceremony rehearsal.

By the time all this was over, he felt more drained than after pulling an all-nighter filming a major scene, and his mind was a bit hazy.

"Not feeling too good, huh?" Guo Yining, who was beside him, laughed. "The brand really took a liking to you. We left on schedule, but you had to keep posing for photos."

Lu Xu couldn't help but give him a resentful look.

"That's just how it goes," another nominee, Zhang Yuguang, nodded in agreement. "It's nice to have young people around. We get to benefit too."

Zhang Yuguang was no stranger to the Starlight Award; he was a regular. This time, he was nominated for his role as a construction worker, making him the eldest among the five nominees.

At this year's Starlight Awards, Lu Xu was a fresh face among newcomers, but he felt completely at ease throughout, partly because he was already used to such environments from his past life, and partly because Guo Yining took special care of him.

Guo Yining's care for him even made other nominees look at him with a kind of affectionate gaze.

Lu Xu wondered what Guo Yining had told the others.

Having worked together on The Son of Heaven for a long time, Guo Yining soon revealed the truth to Lu Xu.

First, he heaped praise on Lu Xu, praising his acting skills and mentioning how much his own daughter adored Lu Xu.

Then he mentioned how Lu Xu had been unceremoniously booted from the Rising Sun crew due to nepotism, despite his stellar performance, and how the casting assistant director had ridiculed him.

Yet, this kid was so genuine that even after being mistreated by Rising Sun, he was still willing to help The Supreme.

"Is there still such an honest kid in the entertainment industry today?" Guo Yining's rhetorical question made the other nominees shake their heads: "No, definitely not."

Veteran supporting actors like Guo Yining and Zhang Yuguang, who were often nominated, were more acutely aware of the chaos in current productions. Even established actors like them occasionally faced bullying on set.

Young people these days have capital backing them, and one drama they star in can earn them as much as what these old-timers make in ten years.

The importance of being "popular" is evident here.

Moreover, most people in the industry had heard of The Son of Heaven. Liu Chunfeng had scoured the entire entertainment industry to finally find a gem like Lu Xu.

Without acting skills, Lu Xu wouldn't have been chosen by Liu Chunfeng, nor would the stringent Starlight Award have given him a nomination.

Guo Yining wasn't the type to praise just anyone, but today, he introduced Lu Xu to everyone, guiding him around with an attitude not much different from how he would treat his own nephew.

And then... just when they thought Guo Yining's treatment of Lu Xu was already good enough, Cheng Yun went even further, bringing Lu Xu directly to the directors and asking them to give Lu Xu more opportunities.

With an especially earnest expression, he introduced Lu Xu as the lucky star of the crew.

Lu Xu: "..."

It was too embarrassing.